


Hush Hush (Don't Give It Away)

by BehindTheRobinsMask



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Author Jason Todd, Awkwardness, Fluff and Humor, I'm so sorry, Love Confessions, M/M, Realization, Secret Crush, Secret Identity, Walking In On Someone, Who am I?, Writer's Block, what is a proper ending?, what is humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:14:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26274706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BehindTheRobinsMask/pseuds/BehindTheRobinsMask
Summary: He was a skater boi. He said 'I'll write a fic for your later boi.'In which, Dick Grayson really loves reading romantic stories written by a best-selling author who just turns out to be Jason Todd. Awkwardness ensues.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd
Comments: 22
Kudos: 165
Collections: JayDick Summer Exchange 2020





	Hush Hush (Don't Give It Away)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [solomonara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/solomonara/gifts).



> Dear Solo, 
> 
> You are one of the best JayDick writers I've come across and I absolutely love reading all your fics. Thank you for giving us the good fucking content all this time. You are appreciated.

Slowly stripping out of his suit, Dick stifled a groan as his fingers brushed over a sore spot on his right shoulder. He touched it gently, rolled it once or twice, trying to see just how extensive the damage was. Most of the time, he took care of everything in Bludhaven on his own and without any problems. Injuries were a part of the job. Nothing could be done about that. But ever since he had started working at the BPD, between police work and his duties as Nightwing, the chances of him being caught off guard had increased. Though Dick would never complain about that to anyone. His family, especially Bruce, hadn’t been thrilled when he told them his decision to clean up the BPD from the inside. How were criminals supposed to be put away if the police didn’t do their job right? If the protectors started taking bribes from the perpetrators, who would the people rely on?

Gathering his suit, Dick quickly stored everything away and locked up the door behind him, sighing with relief because finally, he could relax. Not that he would be able to sleep since a recent case was weighing heavy on his mind. But the more he thought about it, the fewer answers he had and after finding him awake at six in the morning, just a mere two hours from his shift at the BPD, Barbara had made it clear that Dick needed to learn to take a break, lest she sic the Bats on him. Knowing her, she would definitely follow through with her threat but sleep wasn’t easy to come by and Dick wasn’t one to rely on pills. Which is why he had taken up a new hobby, well, more like dusted off an old one that not many people knew about. He had started reading. But the books he picked were different from his usual genre of mystery and thrillers. So as to not let his curiosity get the best of him, Dick had started reading romance stories. 

When he picked up a random bestseller of the romance section in a bookstore, especially after hearing a group of teenagers gush about the writings of a ‘Kat Hood’, Dick had expected to read one chapter and be knocked out. While he was expecting teenage drama, Kat Hood’s writing was anything but cliche. Even if she did use a trope she somehow managed to make it so unique, imagine things in a way never seen before. Her stories weren’t filled with petty drama or unnecessary filler. Every character, every event meant something and even though the books were supposed to help him sleep, Dick found himself staying awake just to read what would happen next. And in a way, he was still following Oracle’s orders because he was relaxing. 

The one thing, however, he wouldn’t admit to anyone was that one of the reasons why he was so attracted to Kat Hood’s writing style was because her characters reminded him of people he knew, sometimes even of himself. Recently, she had released her first paranormal book series ‘One Foot In The Grave’ a story about a man named Will who died during a freak accident only to be brought back to life a year after his passing but he doesn’t know by who or by what. The main character and his love interest, an empath named Eli who is definitely something more than what he claims to be, both of them reminded Dick so much of Jason and himself. So the series, despite being different from anything Kat Hood had written, immediately caught Dick’s interest. 

Because another thing he would never admit was his feelings for Jason, feelings that made him want to be around the younger all the time, feelings that made him want to kiss Jason, hold his hand and never let go. Dick had done his best to hide how he felt, ignoring Jason as much as he could in the presence of others, being as casual as possible but Damian had caught on so fast and so easily. Apparently, Dick just couldn’t help but stare at Jason. 

_ I do not know how you still have a job as a vigilante.  _ Damian had clicked his tongue and shook his head. Giving Dick more reasons to keep his obsession with Kat Hood a secret from everyone. 

Though Barbara probably already knew. She knew everything. 

Kicking the door shut behind him, Dick settled into his bed, getting as comfortable as he could before picked up a book from his side-table, switching on the lamp. 

_ Will was in his room, a duffle bag open on his bed as he shoved his belongings inside. He couldn’t stay here anymore. This town, its people, they knew too much about the person he once used to be. Every street screamed out memories that he would rather forget because even if he tried, Will could never go back home. After all, the William everyone loved was dead and buried six feet under.  _

_ Grabbing the one thing that he had stolen from his room, an old worn-out hoodie that his best friend had given him, Will could feel his body shake. He was tired. He was broken and all he wanted was to find a place where he belonged.  _

_ He had just ripped away the hoodie from himself when he felt a presence in his room.  _

_“Where will you go?”_ _Eli asked, perched on the windowsill, acting as though he had been there from the start._

_ “I don’t know,” Will answered, refusing to look back. “Even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you.” _

_ Even though Will waited for some kind of anger or sadness, Eli didn’t say a word, silence hanging heavily between them. Instead, now he just regretted his words. He couldn’t understand why but he always wanted to rattle Eli, make him break, make him act like he was human even if it was just for a moment.  _

_ Suddenly, arms wrapped around Will’s waist as Eli rested his head against his back, nestled between his shoulder blades, “Take me with you,” he whispered and Will wished his heart would calm down.  _

_ He wished that Eli couldn’t hear every single beat, thumping so loud that it could echo in the room the way it echoed in Will’s head.  _

_ “And why would I do that?” Will asked, reaching up to touch Eli’s hand. _

_ His skin burned against Will’s cold hands.  _

_ “Because I love you,” Eli answered so effortlessly, as if he had said those words to Will a thousand times.  _

Squealing silently, Dick’s lips pulled into a wide grin because he was happy to see his two favourite characters finally talking about their feelings. A part of him was also a bit excited because whenever he read this book, he couldn’t help but see Jason as the main character and every time he touched Eli, every time they kissed, Dick felt like he was the one being loved. 

*******

Sitting in front of his laptop, Jason stared at the blank sheet of his word document with four words written on the top, formatted in italics. 

_ What the fuck, Todd? _

After some recon work last night, Jason had come back to his safe house, a little energized, a little drunk, his mind racing with so many ideas that instead of just noting them down and turning in, he picked up his laptop and started typing away. With every click, every word that appeared onto the screen, he could feel his adrenaline rush, patting his own back because he was sure that his new chapter would be a masterpiece, a turning point for the series and Elill’s relationship (This was the ship name that the fandom had picked for his characters and even though he didn’t care for it in the beginning, it had kind of grown on him). He typed for hours without a break, without taking a minute to step back and look at what he had up until now. 

It was only in the morning, after he woke up and had breakfast, that he read over the new chapter, giggling with anticipation in the beginning, an emotion that faded away the moment he read the first line. At first, he didn’t think the start was that bad but then he read on, having buried his face in his hands by the time he was done. This chapter, his masterpiece, was a train wreck, from start till end, not holding a single moment that could be salvaged. The whole thing had to go and Jason had to start from scratch. 

When Jason first started his new series, the first book ‘One Foot In The Grave’ had basically written itself. The whole process had been smooth, every chapter was written as though Jason had been in a daze, his fingers being moved by an unknown force. When he was done, he was in love with the story, something that had never happened before. Even if his books were bestsellers, being who he was, Jason could always find a million faults. But this story was different. It was his baby, a compilation of feelings that he could never express out loud, a compilation of every bit of love he held for Dick Grayson. 

And maybe because he had poured every drop of love he had for Dick into the first book, he had nothing left to give the second part. While Eli and Will’s relationship had solidified, Jason’s own relationship with Dick was going nowhere because he could never tell the older how he felt, he could never express his love. Since Jason’s books reflected aspects of his real-life mixed in with his imagination and desires, he was only left with a glaring discovery that his feelings for Dick would never be answered.

Jason needed a break. 

Just as the thought crossed his mind, his comms began to buzz, a transmission coming in from someone in the family. Reaching out for them, Jason felt his heart skip a beat because what if Dick was the one calling him. He had just been thinking of the older. 

“Yello,” Jason answered, trying to be as casual as possible. 

_ “Hey, Jason,”  _ Oracle greeted and Jason groaned on the inside.  _ “Well, now, don’t be so excited to hear from him.” _

Glancing at his laptop, Jason closed the lid, “Stalking me like a fangirl, Oracle? For shame.”

_ “Well, I just wanted an exclusive peek into Will and Eli… Oh, I’m sorry… Your and Dick’s imaginary relationship.” _

“Don’t be mean to me! I can’t deal with people being mean to me!” Jason whined, falling back into his chair.

_ “Aww, is Jay throwing a writer tantrum? _

Jason held up the bird, knowing that Barbara was still watching, “Give me one reason why I should keep talking to you, Barbie?” he asked.

Oracle chuckled,  _ “I need you to head down to Bludhaven. My sources tell me that Wing hasn’t really been taking care of himself. He’s hurt but he won’t take the time to rest. Kick his ass and get him into bed.” _

“Do I look like a glorified babysitter to you?” Jason asked even though Barbara’s words had him worried. Dick always took on too much and then refused to ask for help. While he was giving Oracle a hard time now, Jason was already up, heading towards his closet to pack up necessities. 

_ “Just look after him, Jay,”  _ Barbara sighed.  _ “And who knows, maybe you’ll get some inspiration for the next part. Something better than the mess you wrote last night.” _

“Goodbye, Babs,” Jason said, quickly shutting off the comms, his face burning red. 

*******

Dick grimaced as he opened the window to his apartment, his right shoulder now stinging because of all the activity and little to no rest. He wondered if he wrapped it up with some bandages, would that stop the pain and allow him to continue his work at the same time? While taking a break from at least one job would help him tremendously, Dick didn’t know how to pick between the two, both of them equally important. 

He had just changed out of his suit when he heard a sound coming from his kitchen. That was strange. As far as Dick knew, his whole family was still back in Gotham and his friends were in their respective cities. Grabbing an escrima stick, he made his way out of the room, listening carefully until he heard the hum of a familiar voice, singing lowly as utensils were moved around.

“Jay, what the fuck?” Dick asked, stepping into the kitchen. 

Jason just shrugged, “I made dinner?” he offered as if that explained why he was in Dick’s apartment at three in the morning, unannounced. “Also, Babs said you’re on leave from the BPD for at least a week. Need to give your shoulder the time it needs to heal.”

Groaning, Dick plopped down on a chair in front of the small dining table. Of course, Barbara had figured out that something was wrong and decided to intervene the way she always did. While he was always grateful for her, he wished she had given him a heads up. 

“So, what did you do to get stuck as my babysitter?” Dick asked looking up at Jason. 

“I was on break,” Jason answered as he turned off the stove. 

“Red Hood takes breaks?” 

Jason raised his brows as he plated up dinner, “Not everyone is a workaholic like you, Dickie. Besides, I need to make time for my day job.”

“Your day job?” Dick asked, suddenly interested. “You have a day job?”

“Shut up and eat your dinner,” was all Jason said as he placed a plate of pasta in front of Dick.

After that, the two of them ate in absolute silence. 

*******

Once dinner was over, Dick suggested that the two of them watch a movie, maybe talk and catch up. But Jason had just rolled his eyes and sent Dick off to his room to sleep. He had been out working the whole day and needed rest.

_ “You have me for a whole week, Dickie. By the time I leave you’ll be sick of my face so go to bed.” _

While Dick looked like he was going to protest, the cutest pout on his lips, one that Jason really wanted to kiss, he turned around and went off to his room, shutting the door behind him. How Jason wished he could follow him in, hold him close and never let go. But alas, somethings just weren’t meant to be. At least, Will could do all that and more with Eli in the next book. Jason was definitely going to use this. 

Settling in the guest bedroom after Dick insisted that Jason sleep on a proper bed, Jason had just started unpacking his things when his eyes fell on a USB, one that Barbara had promised he would deliver to Dick the moment he reached Bludhaven. It apparently had some information that he needed.

With the USB in hand, at first, Jason knocked on the door but there was no response. Had Dick already fallen asleep? Sighing, Jason was about to leave when he heard a groan coming from inside, a sound that made press his lips together in irritation. When he had asked to check on Dick’s shoulder, the older had just waved him away, convinced that his injury was minor and would heal on its own. Now, here he was, groaning away in pain. 

Rightfully annoyed, Jason had just opened the door to Dick’s room when he saw something that he wasn’t meant to see. There Dick Grayson was, the golden boy and the love of Jason’s life, lying on his bed with his hands down his shorts, lower lip pulled between his teeth. But it wasn’t this view that had Jason baffled. It was the fact that Dick was holding a very familiar book in his hand. Jason’s book. 

“Uh… Goodnight!” Jason said and quickly shut the door. 

If Dick had called out to him or asked him to wait, Jason hadn’t heard a word as he hurried off to the guest room, his mind replaying the scene over and over again. Grabbing his phone, he dialled Barbara’s number.

“You are evil incarnate,” Jason hissed when she answered and all Barbara did was laugh.

*******

If there was a hole that he could crawl into, one that would leave to a very, very high cliff, Dick would believe in god once again because there was no way for him to come back from this embarrassment. He knew it was a bad idea to read his book, especially since the raciest of scenes was coming up. He knew it was a bad idea to scratch his itch but he had been told that he needed to relax and rubbing one out, well, that was a good way to do just that, right? In hindsight, he should have probably locked the door but Dick never imagined that Jason would just walk into his room like that. 

With his hands buried in his face, he wondered if he went out now, could he find a villain with a time travel machine? In his world, the chances of that happening were relatively high after all. 

Not only had Jason seen him in a compromising position, he now totally knew about his love for Kat Hood books. Any minute now, his phone would start blowing up with messages from Tim and Steph. Jason would tell them and they would tease Dick about it, mercilessly. He could feel the vultures circling. 

Then, the door opened again. 

“Oh geez,” Dick muttered as he peeked through his fingers to find Jason standing by the doorway. 

“I think we need to talk,” Jason said, walking inside and sitting beside Dick. “I’m not going to tell anyone what I… saw.”  _ Though, Babs probably knows.  _ “So, you don’t need to worry.”

“Really?” Dick asked, voice meek. “I’m sure you, Tim and Steph would have a riot talking about this.”

“Eh. It’s more fun if I’m the only one who knows.” Jason shrugged, a small smile on his face. “An inside joke if you will.”

Dick snorted, “Yeah. An inside joke at my expense.”

“Awww, Dickie. Don’t be like that. You were just pent up. In need of a good  _ dicking. _ ” Jason grinned shamelessly. 

Picking up his pillow, Dick just smushed it against Jason’s face, an action that just made the younger laugh.

“So, you read Kat Hood books?” Jason asked after clearing his throat. 

“Yes, I do. She’s a good writer okay?” Dick defended his choices.

Jason’s eyes looked around. He seemed hesitant, “You really think she’s good?” he asked as if he wasn’t talking about the work of a complete stranger. 

Eyes narrowed, Dick nodded, observing Jason’s strange behaviour. He seemed nervous, the index finger of his right hand tapping against his thigh over and over. Before he asked anything, he licked his lips. All things that Jason did when he was out of his depths. And Dick would know all his tells, even the tiniest change because he was always watching Jason.

“Don’t you think her first book was a bit… boring? Cliche even?” he asked and Dick raised his brows. 

“I personally loved the story. Ray and James had an honest relationship, one that grew with every decision they took,” Dick reminisced, lips pulling. “Also that book was about a circus boy finding his way in a city all by himself. I couldn’t help but love it.”

And it was then that pieces started to fall into place. Dick had always thought that Kat Hood’s characters reminded him of people he knew, situations that they had been in. But he never dug in too deep. He never had any reason to. But now, as he watched Jason be all fidgety and nervous like he was the one caught with his hands down his pants, something wasn’t right. His sudden interest in Dick’s views on Kat Hood’s work made him all the more suspicious. 

Thinking back, Dick could find himself relating to the leads in Kat Hood’s books. They always seemed to reflect a facet of his personality, some key piece of his life, his struggles and seeing someone go through the same things he had one point, it warmed his heart. Then, there were the love interests, boys who were always so similar to Jason, some holding his temperament, others showing a soft side that he himself rarely did. Then there were the hopeless romantics with a love for literature. 

_ Oh no. _

Kat Hood. Dick had just shrugged when he saw the name since the first name could be short for something. Short for a name like Katherine. Replace the ‘k’ and Dick was left with a name he knew all too well. 

Catherine Todd. 

_ Oh my fucking god. _

“Jay, what’s your day job?” Dick asked, fingers gripping his sheet.

As he tapped his finger faster, Jason refused to meet Dick’s eyes, “I… write,” he answered and it was then that Dick screamed. 

“You’re Kat Hodd?! YOU WRITE ROMANCE NOVELS IN YOUR FREE TIME?!”

“Geez, man, calm down,” Jason said, looking around as if someone could hear their conversation. And Betty upstairs probably could but she wouldn’t mind. She loved the gossip. “I sometimes dwell in the romance genre.”

“All your books are from that genre,” Dick pointed out, not knowing how to feel. Should he do cartwheels with excitement since his favourite author was sitting next to him or should he be annoyed because clearly, he had been reading about his own life all this while without even knowing it?

And the fact that it had taken him so long to figure this out? What kind of detective was he? But in his defence, he wasn’t actively trying to uncover Kat Hood’s identity. 

“I just… oh man,” Jason whispered covering his face. “This is so embarrassing.”

“Embarrassing? I should be the one embarrassed! How could I not know this?” 

“Well, no one really does. Except for Babs. Even Bruce doesn’t know.”

“Oh.” That was kind of a relief.

Leaning back in his bed, Dick stared at the ceiling wide-eyed, his mind still processing this interaction and wondering if this was all just a fever dream. 

“So you’re a writer,” he whispered, eyes widening further as another thought struck him. “You’re a writer who has basically been writing fanfiction about the two of us.”

“When you put it like that…”

“Jason,” Dick warned and the younger sighed. 

“I just… I may have had an itsy bitsy crush on you since the days I wore green scaly shorts,” Jason finally admitted.

Oh.  _ OH. _

Opening his mouth, Dick tried to say something, anything but he had no words. In his mind, congratulatory banners were unravelling, mini hims were dancing with joy and if someone looked closely, there was a small fire that was bound to get bigger. His brain was short-circuiting. Dick was sure of that. This was definitely where he would die.

“You know,” Jason said, snapping Dick out of his thoughts. “Instead of staring at me with your mouth open, could you reject me so that I can be on my way?”

“Uh… I-- what?” Dick asked, blinking rapidly.

Jason rolled his eyes, “Say you don’t like me Dickie. Then we can both put this behind us and avoid each other for maybe a year or forever.”

“But I don’t want to avoid you,” Dick blurted out and then shook his head. “What I mean is, I don’t want to reject you.”

“Don’t pity me,” Jason growled lowly and Dick rolled his eyes. 

“Channel James from your debut book some other time,” he said, flicking Jason’s forehead. “There’s a reason why I love reading your books, apart from the fact that your writing is amazing.”

“You can’t be serious,” Jason whispered and Dick smiled.

“I like you too, Jay,” he confessed, reaching out to caress Jason’s cheek.

As the words left Dick’s mouth, Jason’s cheeks turned red, the blush spreading all the way to his ears and down his neck. It was an adorable sight and Dick only wished he had his phone to take a quick picture so that he could remember this forever. 

“So… uh…” Jason cleared his throat again. “You want me to help you… get you off?”

“Don’t make me smother you, Todd.”

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know what to say.


End file.
